Just Across the Fonbelt
by MoonlightTyger
Summary: UPDATED 6.18.12. A year and a half after Mithos' defeat, an accident causes Lloyd and co. to be blown to Auldrant, meeting up with Luke and his friends a few months after the young noble's return.
1. Prologue

_Well, here it is; the prologue to my Tales of Symphonia/Tales of the Abyss crossover. Hope you all enjoy :)_

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**ATTENTION, READERS!**This fic contains **FULL GAME SPOILERS **for **BOTH** _Tales of Symphonia_ **AND** _Tales of the Abyss._If you **do not want to be spoiled**,** STOP READING NOW**. Thank you.

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**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tales copyright or the characters; I am merely a fan who enjoys writing about them. All rights belong to Namco/Namco Bandai; character designs (c) Kosuke Fujishima.**

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**.:Just Across the Fon Belt:.  
****-Prologue-**

It had happened all so suddenly - the summon, the lightning, the flash - and then, like magic (pun intended), there they were.

Stuck.

On a tower.

On an island.

Which was, without much exaggeration, in the middle of _nowhere_.

"Where are we?" Genis wondered aloud.

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For a year following Mithos' defeat, Lloyd and Colette had gone on a journey to collect and destroy the remaining Exspheres, and, thanks in part to Regal, had had decent success, at least in that area. Genis and Raine had gone on their own journey, one with the goal of gaining acceptance for half-elves - things were getting marginally better, but even with Zelos' assistance, they were not anywhere near what they should have been. Zelos himself was working to abolish the Chosen title and Sheena was an emissary of peace. Presea continued to help Regal, in keeping with what she knew to be her late sister's wishes.

But other, new problems had arisen which they had never anticipated.

First off, there were the numerous geographical and environmental issues - since the reunification, maps had been rendered nearly useless. Even combining the two - maps of Tethe'alla and maps of Sylvarant - things were still messed up. Furthermore, there were certain areas in which the weather had been rapidly, drastically changing. One of the most glaring examples was Triet - it was still a desert, indeed, but a frozen wasteland rather than one of scorching sands, as Celsius' power took over.

Another problem was the growing monster population - since reviving the Tree, monsters had been steadily increasing in both numbers and power...Before, they would have owed it to the Desians or the Chosen's trials, but that was no longer a factor. Unfortunately, between Cruxis' control of records, Yuan and Kratos disappearing, and their own lack of knowledge, there weren't all that many clues about what could possibly be causing such a thing.

Finally, the number one issue was, by far and large, the people of both worlds. For four thousand years they had been separated...in Sylvarant, much information regarding its other half was nothing more than rumor and legend. Tethe'alla presented little problem of itself, having learned of her sister world beforehand, but the technological advancements of the former "flourishing world" only served to intimidate the more rural Sylvarant. Even with Neil on their side, negotiations were a delicate thing.

To complicate matters, factions had popped up - people who were against the reunification and hated Lloyd and his companions for doing so. Most were dealt with rather quickly, but there was one particularly troublesome group that had proven itself quite resilient - they called themselves the "Vanguard", and were most certainly a force to be reckoned with; they took advantage of the growing monster populations and used the creatures to help them fight. Not only had they hated Lloyd, but they'd been against negotiations of any kind and would stop at nothing to get their way. The eight companions had met several times with Neil and King Tethe'alla on ways to deal with the Vanguard...and finally, after many months, a decisive blow was struck to the group. They had not reappeared since then.

The defeat of the Vanguard lifted a huge burden off everyone's minds. There were still difficult things to be worked out, but it began to go just a little smoother without the additional..._action _the Vanguard had so generously provided. The defeat had become one of the groups' biggest successes as of late. This in mind, Colette thought that a little celebration was in order; invitations were sent to the other seven heroes, asking them to meet at Yggdrasill (the name Lloyd have given the tree), and was delighted to receive seven RSVPs in return. They would all be there.

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It was a happy group that met near the sapling Mana Tree that day, laughing and telling stories - basking in the rare company one only finds among the truest and closest of friends. It was this very gathering, however, that paved the way for the situation the Aselian heroes currently found themselves in.

While recalling some of their more cherished times, however, the name of the one person absent from their merry gathering - a certain Kratos Aurion - was inevitably brought up. Lloyd had known it was impossible for him to be there, of course, but still, he hadn't realized that having his absent father's name mentioned would sting so much.

"Professor," Lloyd began, "I was wondering..."

"Lloyd, no," she said, immediately knowing where he was headed. "There's not a way to bring him back. I doubt even Origin's power extends that far. I'm sorry."

"I know...I just...isn't there any possibility the teleporter still works? Or...something?" Lloyd looked downcast. "He should be here...even...even if it's just for today. There's no way we'd be here if he hadn't been helping us all that time. The old Tower's teleporter isn't very far...couldn't we at least _try_?" He paused, briefly lifting his head to look at the others, before staring at the ground again. "I'm sorry, you guys...I know today was supposed to be about the old gang getting together...but...Kratos is a part of it, too. Even if it doesn't work, I..."

He lifted his eyes once more, noticing with relief their smiling faces.

"If it is that important to you," Presea began, "then, as your friends, are we not here to help?" The others added their assent. Zelos wasn't exactly thrilled - he had never liked Kratos much - but he slung an arm about Lloyd's shoulders.

"Just don't expect us to throw a welcome-home party, ok?" the ex-Chosen smirked.

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Despite all it had been through, the teleporter had remained in decent shape; despite all of Raine and Genis' efforts, it absolutely refused to make any connection whatsoever to Derris-Kharlan.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd," Raine said, "I just don't think there's any more we can do. The controls seem to have been destroyed, and the power supply is very low."

"No!" said Lloyd, absolutely refusing to give up, "There _has_ to be a way!" He hurried forward and gave it a couple bangs.

"Lloyd, stop! Don't touch it!" Raine warned. The boy turned around to look at her seriously.

"Well...maybe it doesn't know we're here?"

"Lloyd, the teleporter is fine," Genis said, "Derris-Kharlan is just probably too far out for it to reach..." But Lloyd didn't appear to be listening.

"Maybe it needs a charge...Hey, Sheena, try summoning Volt!"

"No!" the half-elven siblings cried. With a zap of lightning, Volt had appeared.

"Volt, do you think you could power this enough to get it to Derris-Kharlan?"

"Sheena, _wait!_"

But it was too late - Volt had already sent a huge blast of power toward the machine. The teleporter lit up brightly...And brighter...and _brighter_...and...

"Woah-woah...WOAH!!" Such immense power...and it was swallowing all of them!

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Zelos was the first to awaken. The others soon followed, only to discover that the teleporter's remains had completely vanished, and in its place was...wait, where were they? They were definitely inside - no, _on top of_ - a building of sorts...but it wasn't the Tower of Salvation...was it?...Could it be...?

"Did we make it to Derris-Kharlan?" Lloyd asked. "This doesn't look like Welgaia."

"That's because it isn't," a deep, familiar, voice responded, "We're not on Derris-Kharlan, not anywhere near it."

They turned toward the sound of the voice - sure enough, there stood a purple-clad mercenary, the very member they of their group they'd been working so hard to reach.

"Dad!" Lloyd cried happily, running over to the man. Kratos just looked at him - the ancient man was much surprised at his son's enthusiasm and happiness at seeing him. And yet, he could not help but be happy and excited himself - his precious son, so long ago lost, then found, and then Kratos was forced to leave him once more...but some twist of fate had thrown them together again.

"Lloyd," his father responded, reaching out to ruffle his hair, "It is...wonderful to see you again." Lloyd's smile was so bright, it could have lit the way to Aselia and back.

"But what are you doing here?" Raine asked, bringing them back to the matters at hand. "I understood that-"

"I'm not entirely certain, myself," Kratos responded, pre-empting her question. "I was inspecting the teleporter, when it activated, somehow - and now I find myself here with the rest of you."

"Then do you know where we are?" Genis said.

"It appears we are on a tower of sorts."

"I know that! I mean, where's this tower?"

"That, I don't know."

"Then we should find our way out of here and have a look at the surrounding area," Regal spoke up. "Perhaps there is a town nearby where we can ask someone." The others nodded their assent.

"Now to find a way o- Professor?" Lloyd looked over to where Raine was (gleefully) examining a circular area in the ground. "...It's an elevator," she announced, as the others walked over. "I believe we have found our way out."

To some, the elevator ride might have been considered long; to the Aselians, however, the length of the ride was nothing in comparison to that of the elevator in the Tower of Salvation. It was intriguing, however, as they rode the lift down, watching the floors pass by - there were machines and designs that they had never seen before (and nearly sending Raine into ruin-mode).

They walked out of the mysterious building - indeed, it was a _tower_unlike any they'd seen before. Neither Raine nor Kratos recognized it, which was worrisome - two of the people who knew pretty much everything there was to know about Aselia, and if _they_ didn't know what it was...

"Although, it's design is similar to something I saw a couple millennia ago," Kratos said after a moment. "Still, it would be best to find a town or city where we can ask about."

"Perhaps one of you could fly about and see if there are any towns nearby?" Regal suggested, indicating the four with wings.

"Will our wings still work?" Lloyd asked.

"They should," Kratos answered. "They are formed from our internal mana; even if a world lacks it, we carry ours with us."

"Oh. But wait...magic uses mana, right? So what'll happen if Genis or the Professor...?"

"That's still different," Kratos said. "We don't normally draw on our own mana to cast - though there are exceptions - but instead merely harness and/or control that which is around us."

Lloyd still looked somewhat lost, though, and Kratos sighed. "I shall go scout around," said the former mercenary, "Wait here." He spread his wings, and after a short test flight, took off north a little ways.

"This place does have an odd mana," Raine said. "I've never felt it before."

"Me neither," Genis added.

"Huh?" Lloyd wanted to ask what they meant, but Kratos suddenly landed.

"That was fast," Zelos noted.

"Did you find anything?" Sheena asked.

"There's a small port about 100 miles to the northeast," he responded, "across a small stretch of water. If we can fly you all there, then we should be able to ask around."

"We're...going to have to...cross the sea..." Raine swallowed.

"We will be flying," Presea said gently, in an attempt to console her some.

"You guys're gonna carry us _100 _miles to that town?" Genis asked.

"It should be no trouble for us - our enhanced abilities are not decreased."

"...Alright then, who's going with who?" Zelos asked, wagging his eyebrows at Sheena (who glared).

"I'm not giving you any chance to grope or stare so you can just scratch that idea _right now_," she hissed.

"Who said anything about-"

"Calm down," said Lloyd. "How about this - I'll take Genis and Presea, Sheena can ride with Colette, Dad takes the Professor, and Zelos can take Regal?"

"Aw, Lloyd, c'mon - gimme a chick at least!" Zelos whined (Regal merely chuckled).

"Well, I just thought you'd rather not be hit in the face with a Fireball or Photon...or Sheena's fan, for that matter."

Zelos sighed. But everyone else agreed, and were soon lined up with their respective rides.

"Let's be off," Kratos said, and soon, they were soaring through the sky.

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_Well, I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't really know when the (actual) first chapter will be out; our favorite Kimlascan cousins have not quite decided when or how they want to be introduced._

_There's other (more relevant) Author's Notes to be had, but due to their length, I've posted the whole of them in my profile; they're supposed to clear up any confusion that may or may not be explained in the story itself. They also list what the characters' ages are for this story, so...yeah, check it out if you're curious/interested/etc._

_Until the next time -  
MoonlightTyger_


	2. Chapter 1: Auldrant

_I know I said the last week of February; that didn't quite work out, and I apologize. Work issues, decision-making (related to the aforementioned work issues), and dealing with insurance annoyances ate away a good deal of my energy and creative brain power. But enough of that...after four long years, I am pleased to FINALLY post..._

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**.:Just Across the Fon Belt:.**

Chapter One: Auldrant

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"How long before we reach that village, Dad?" Lloyd looked to Kratos, who was leading the group in the direction of the settlement he had seen. It had taken more than a day to walk to the coast where Kratos and the other angels could more easily fly their friends over the ocean, and now - rather than land directly in the port town, or right outside it, thus avoiding drawing the attentions of people who'd very likely never seen winged beings such as themselves - they had opted to land a few miles from it, and walk in.

"...It shouldn't take us more than an hour or two," Kratos finally said, in response to Lloyd's question. He still couldn't get over that. Dad. How often had he longed to hear that, and how often had he believed he never would? It was a wonderful feeling.

"We'll have to be very careful about this," Raine was saying, "we don't want to let on how little we know about where we are."

"Yeah."

"That means let us do all the talking, Lloyd," Genis said (Lloyd harrumphed), "And Zelos, don't get any weird ideas."

""Weird ideas"? Like what?" Zelos glared at the half-elf, who merely narrowed his eyes at the ex-Chosen and replied,

"You know exactly what I mean."

"WHAT? Just what are you-" And the two commenced to bickering, with everyone else in the group sighing massively. Just as Raine was about to threaten them with bodily harm, Zelos stopped. Eyes wide, he looked toward the trees bordering on their left.

"Did you guys _hear_ that?" he asked. Not just him, but Lloyd, Kratos, and Colette were all regarding the trees apprehensively.

"Someone...someone's screaming...she's screaming in fear..." Colette's eyebrows furrowed in worry, and she looked to Lloyd, who nodded.

"Someone needs help! C'mon, guys, we need to find whoever's in trouble!" With that, Lloyd took off at full speed, the others following.

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The trees were thick where the screams were coming from, but the angels had no trouble in navigating it. Along a worn, but secluded trail, there stood the source of the terrified shrieks: a young woman clad in burgandy. A single swordsman stood in front of her, trying to defend her from the bandits surrounding them. Several other men lay motionless and bleeding on the ground. With the thick forest on one side of the path, and the mountains on the other, it was a decent place for an ambush...and it looked like that was exactly what had happened.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Lloyd demanded.

"That's none of your business," a snide-looking man retorted. "Get...lost...?" The bandits' eyes had widened at the sight of nine people, all of whom were drawing their weapons (actually, the kendama didn't look that tough. But that giant ax more than made up for it). With only four of their gang left, they were completely outnumbered.

"What was that you were saying about getting lost?" Genis smirked.

The bandits tried to escape, but when the group prevented that, a battle ensued. The bandits were strong, skilled fighters to be sure, but they were no match for Lloyd's group - petty thieves were a cakewalk after Mithos and Cruxis - and thus were quickly taken care of. With that, Raine moved to check on the hysterical woman. She had fallen over in a faint.

"What should we do now?" Lloyd asked, but before anyone could respond, a new sound had filled the forest: clinking armor. Soon after, there appeared twenty or so knights, uniforms of burgandy and gray; they quickly glanced around the clearing before surrounding the nine oddly-dressed people.

"Arrest them," the lead knight ordered.

"Wait, _what?_" Lloyd's eyes were wide.

"We didn't do anything!" Genis exclaimed.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Zelos added his protest.

"Silence!"

"This is not the time, you three," Raine immediately scolded them, then added quietly, "We don't even know where we are yet; it'd be best to keep yourselves calm until we know more."

Reluctantly, they allowed themselves to be bound and led away.

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It was nearly ten in the morning when Viscount Luke fon Fabre finally woke up.

"Count Fabre! Count, are you awake?" came the muffled voice of one of the soldiers, through the door. "Princess Natalia's ship has been spotted over the horizon!"

Or rather, _was_ woken up.

"Ugh..." he groaned, still groggy. And why was Natalia so insistant on him meeting her at the docks, anyway? It wasn't as if she wouldn't know where to find him. Kaitzur Port wasn't exactly Baticul or Grand Chokmah; it just _wouldn't_ be that hard.

Oh well.

"Count Fabre?" the soldier asked again.

"Yeah, hang on, I'm coming. I'll be out in a minute."

The day was fair as the Princess' ship pulled into the harbor. "Luke!" Natalia happily greeted as she disembarked. "Luke, how have you been?" she asked, moving to embrace her cousin warmly.

"In the three weeks since we last saw each other?" he remarked as he returned the embrace. There was an undertone of humor in his voice. "I'm alright."

"That's wonderful!" she assented. Her expression then became more serious as she inquired, "How is Uncle?"

"...The same," he answered.

"I'm sorry." She smiled wanly at him. She - as well as everybody else from their group - knew from various letters that the Duke had been rather more irksome of late. There weren't many details, but they all knew why.

Very soon after Luke had returned from Eldrant and reunited with his family, the King had offered him a new position as an ambassador - not as one to Malkuth, for Natalia had that covered - but as one to Daath and Yulia City; also, the King added, as an advocate for replicas. Luke had accepted readily. He had grown to enjoy to traveling and helping people, and Daath and Yulia City meant more time with Tear and Anise. It had been four months since Luke had taken the position, and he'd been doing an excellent job.

Despite all counts of excellence, however, more time in Yulia City (with Tear) quite naturally caused the Duke displeasure, and he rarely hesitated to make his feelings on the subject known. This, in turn, made things more uncomfortable for Luke. He spent as little time as possible at home, these days.

"Not your fault, you know how he is," Luke was saying now, folding his hands behind his head. He adroitly changed the subject. "How was your trip?"

"Very nice, it was quite pleasant. As a matter of fact, I-"

Loud shouts rang out across the port - some angrier than others - and the royal cousins immediately turned to see what all the commotion was about. At the gate, a company of knights were entering...but what was all the excitement about?

"What's going on?" Natalia asked.

"Heck if I know," Luke responded. "Let's go find out." With this, Luke hurried toward the soldiers, Natalia on his heels. They slowed down as they neared, however, and completely stopped once they could clearly see what was causing the ruckus... Behind him, Natalia stopped as well, as both of them studied the people not twenty feet before them. Surrounded by the company of knights, were a group of about eight or nine people that were obviously prisoners...it was not this fact that held the royals' attention, however, but the prisoners' most unusual appearance.

One man was clad from head to toe in purple, and another wore bright red. Two of the group sported _silver_ hair, their clothes decorated in odd glyphs that neither Luke nor Natalia had never seen before. The most unusually dressed of the bunch was a young woman - dark-haired, perhaps Natalia's age - who wore an odd blue/lavender coat of sorts, and there was wide pink sash about her waist. The tallest person was a muscular man with blue hair, and he was richly dressed. Was he a noble of sorts? But neither of them could recall a noble with blue hair...

"Do you think they're with the Dark Wings or something?" Luke asked; Natalia only shrugged.

"I couldn't say..." Though there had to be a good reason why they were under arrest.

At the sound of their voices, the soldiers immediately turned and saluted. "Y-your Highness, Count Fabre," the captain turned and saluted them as well. "I apologize for this disturbance; I hadn't meant to-"

"No apology necessary," Luke responded. "Don't worry about it."

"At ease, Captain," Natalia greeted, more refined than her cousin. "But please, tell us, is there something the matter? Who are these people?"

"We found them north of here, just a few miles outside the city. They attacked Lady Almandine and we believe they may have been involved in some recent robberies around here."

"Oh my..."

"We didn't steal a thing!" a young voice protested.

"Silence! Take them to the cells, I'll deal with them later. Now then, Your Highness, please don't be alarmed. With those thieves in our custody, you'll have nothing to worry about on your travels. We'll see that they're brought to justice."

"Of course. Thank you. And how is Lady Almandine?"

"She was in a faint when we found her - as far as I know, she hasn't woken up yet - other than a few bruises, she's unharmed. Good thing we got there when we did."

"It certainly is," Natalia agreed fervently, "I commend you and your men. Would you please let us know when she wakes? I should like to visit with her."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

"If you don't mind, I'll go too," Luke offered, "I'd like to see her."

The captain nodded, faithfully promising to notify them as soon as the Lady awoke. "Now then, if Your Highnesses will excuse me, I must be returning to my duties." At Luke's nod, the captain left.

"Well, I certainly hope those thieves are brought to justice," Natalia remarked. "Poor Lady Almandine; I'm glad she's not injured."

"That's Count Almandine's daughter, right?" Luke asked. "What was she doing out in the wilderness like that? She can't fight worth a gald."

"The count maintains a residence on the plains, somewhere between here and Kaitzur. I imagine that's where she was heading. She would have had guards with her."

"Oh."

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"What do you think they're going to do with us?" Genis asked Raine, from across the bars. Quite expectedly, they had separated the men and women.

"I don't know, Genis," Raine replied.

"They wouldn't be planning to..._execute_ us, would they?"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Zelos exclaimed.

"I doubt it," Presea answered. "They did not seem...ruthless. Perhaps the truth will be found, and we will be set free."

"I hope you're right."

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"Princess, Count," Elena Almandine greeted the two as they entered. She was in bed - not seriously wounded, but shaken. "Thank you both for coming to see me."

"We heard about what happened," Natalia said, "We're just glad you're alright."

"Yes," she agreed, her face turning sad. "I remember now. My poor guards...at least two of them were killed in that attack. If not for those people, I don't think I would be here right now."

Lady Elena Almandine - the only child of Count Almandine, a bright-eyed 17-year-old with the same lavender-gray hair as her father. She was small-statured, and she couldn't fight worth a gald (as Luke had said), but she was a good person. She would be a great ambassador one day, being blessed with her late mother's common sense and grace, and her father's strong will. It was a shame that she was attacked so ruthlessly.

"I'm glad to see you're okay, too," Luke nodded fervently, "I'm very sorry to hear about the guardsmen."

"I as well," Natalia added. Both were silent for a minute, in respect, before Natalia continued, "But what do you mean, "those people"? Don't you mean the knights?"

"No, not at all," the Lady shook her head, "the knights must have gotten there later; it was those strangers who saved me. Viola was fighting four-on-one, and then a group of people - very strong - they came and began beating the bandits down. They seemed very skilled."

"...What...did these people look like, Elena?" Luke suddenly felt uncomfortable as both he and Natalia happened on the same thought: what if those people had been the prisoners? If they _were_...

"Well...it was a large group - eight or nine, I think," she said. "One of them, I remember - he was dressed in all purple. Very handsome, if I do say so myself. There was a woman and boy with silver hair - I think they were mages, but I'm not sure - and a tall man with blue hair who fought with his _feet_...one of the men looked like a lot like Luke, actually - his red hair was rather curly though, not like yours. Very long, too, like yours used to be..."

"Hey Natalia..." Luke whispered uncomfortably.

"I know, I think those were the people we saw..."

"But get this," Elena called their attention once again, "one of the girls - a little blonde - she...she had _wings_. Like an angel, except not really feathery at all. They were glowing and pink, like they were made of fonons...I've never seen anything like it. It was so shocking..."

Luke and Natalia glanced at each other. Wings?

"Wings? That's...you sure you weren't just imagining things?" Luke asked. Elena Almandine was never one to make up stories - quite the contrary, in fact. And it was true that they had seen many crazy things on their travels. But..._this_ was just silly - no one had wings! It wasn't impossible she'd been mistaken, very much the opposite, really.

"You did faint, after all," Natalia gently reminded her, "perhaps you hit your head, and were mistaken? Or perhaps you dreamt it."

But Elena shook her head, "I was quite awake, I assure you; I didn't imagine anything. She just opened them up and hovered away. Then I turned...and saw Viola fall...I remember screaming...and then nothing after that." Elena's eyes welled up. Viola March had been Elena's chief bodyguard since the Lady had been small; seeing her protectress and "second mother" fall in battle must have been a terrible thing. It was no wonder she had fainted.

"Well, perhaps I have some good news, then," Natalia replied with a smile, and Elena looked at her hopefully. Natalia nodded.

"Viola survived the attack," Natalia told her. "She's gravely injured, but she will recover. She's in the hospital wing here at the port."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Elena cried. "Please, I must see her! Please!" She began to climb out of bed.

"Tomorrow," Natalia said firmly, gently pushing her back down. "You'll both need your rest tonight."

"Alright," Elena conceded. "Oh, but what happened to those people who saved me? I should like to thank them."

Luke and Natalia really didn't want to explain this, having already made the silent pact between them to get to the bottom of it themselves as soon as they were done with Elena. If they really were her rescuers, Elena would surely be mortified at the way they had been treated, and between her experiences, her injuries, and those of Viola, she surely didn't need any more to stress about.

However, it looked like they were going to have to explain anyway.

At least it would set the matter straight sooner rather than later.

"Well..." Natalia looked sheepish as she looked at Elena, "I'm afraid that there has been a grave misunderstanding...I think your rescuers have been arrested as the bandits that attacked you..."

"Oh my! Your Highness, are you sure? If so, then please...you must have them released at once!" Elena cried. "They saved my life, and that's how they're repaid? Oh, how...how _mean!_ Those ridiculous knights!" With this, she began to climb out of bed again.

"Hey, hey - don't strain yourself, Elena." Luke lightly pushed her back down this time. "We'll take care of it, okay? It's sort of our job anyway...the knights made assumptions and we just let them throw those people in prison. We should take care of it."

"They _will_ be released, I assure you."

"Please, at least let me go with you to release them," Elena pleaded, "As I said, I want to thank them for saving my life. And besides, wouldn't it be easier for you both to have my testimony of the rescue?"

This was true. As Royals, they could command the prisoners released no questions asked, but Luke and Natalia preferred to do things more diplomatically if they could. It would make things much easier on everyone if Elena were present for this. "We'll have them brought here instead...then you must rest as the doctor orders, alright? Tomorrow, if they permit, you may see Viola."

"Yes, ma'am," Elena said, "and thank you."

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The nine were awoken by the sound of locks being undone.

"Huh?"

"What?"

"..."

"Wake up," the knight said, "Lady Almandine and Their Majesties want to speak with you."

"Their...Majesties?" Lloyd breathed. They were going to meet a king, now?

"Yes. Now come along - please, follow me." There were several other knights, too, but nowhere near as many as had escorted them to the prison cell. The nine Aselians were taken across the port to a headquarters-type building on the other side.

They entered the building; inside, they could clearly see the two nobles who had been at the port that morning - a redheaded young man, about Lloyd's age, and a golden-haired blonde in blue raiment - as well as the young woman they had rescued eariler (it was pleasing to see her awake and calm, rather than terrified).

"Your Majesties, Lady Almandine," the knight addressed. "Here are those you wished to see."

"Thank you."

"There's no mistaking it," the young woman said, looking at them. "They're the ones that saved me."

"Thank you, Elena. Daniel" - the blonde addressed one of the Knights - "would you return them their belongings? The rest of you may all be dismissed." The knights moved aside and left the building, and the blonde woman stepped forward.

"Noble strangers, please allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, Princess of Kimlasca - this is my cousin, Viscount Luke fon Fabre" - she indicated the redheaded young man on her right - "and this young woman here is Lady Elena Almandine." She gestured toward the lavender-haired girl to her left.

"Hello," the Count greeted.

"It's nice to see you again," Lady Almandine nodded.

"As I understand, you saved Elena's life," the Princess continued. "May I beg pardon for the misconceptions of my soldiers; we have been ravaged by thieves as of late, so they've been a little on edge. Nonetheless, we were gravely mistaken, and for that we apologize. We're very grateful to your saving Elena."

"Uh...uh...it was nothing, really..." Lloyd stammered.

"We're just glad to see you're alright," Colette added, smiling at the Lady. "Are you feeling better, now?"

Elena laughed, "Yes, I'm alright. Just a few bruises." Then she grew solemn. "Thank you very much for saving me; were it not for your assistance, I would likely be dead, or a hostage someplace. Thank you - I can never repay you enough."

"R-really," Lloyd stammered again, "it's nothing. We couldn't very well just leave you like that, could we?"

"Yeah," Zelos added, smirk on his face, "a pretty girl like you's got no business bein' taken hostage by a bunch of neanderthals..." Elena blushed mightily at this and shyly ducked her head.

"You are too kind," she replied, before looking at the Princess. "I'll be returning to my room now." She thanked them all once again, and a servant escorted her out of the room. Luke and Natalia turned back to the strangers.

"Thank you once again," the Princess now said, "We are in your debt. We've prepared a sum as a reward..."

"Oh no, no reward," Lloyd held up his hands. "It's not like we did it for any money. We just couldn't stand to see someone hurt like that."

"Is that so?" The royal cousins seemed impressed. Not that they wouldn't do something of the sort, themselves, but...

"Well, we appreciate your help all the same," Viscount Fabre said then, sounding much less formal than his cousin. "If you guys need anything, just ask. Oh, but we haven't given you the chance to introduce yourselves. What are your names?"

"Well...um, I'm Lloyd Irving-Aurion," the young man in red stated (behind him, Kratos smiled). He went on to say that the blonde was Colette Brunel, the silver-haired woman and boy were the Sage siblings, Professor Raine, and Genis. The purple-clad man introduced himself as Lloyd's brother, Kratos Aurion. Regal Bryant was the tall man with blue hair, and the little girl in pigtails was Presea Combatir. Sheena was the strangely-dressed woman, with a last name that was as much of a mouthful as Natalia's full title. Finally, the other redheaded man introduced himself as the Great Zelos Wilder - as frivolous and flirtatious as they came.

"Well, that's everyone," Lloyd said. "Pleasure meeting you."

"The pleasure is ours as well," the Princess returned, "and as Luke said - if you need anything, just ask."

"Um, actually..." Genis began, "If you don't mind...could you tell us a little about this place? We're a little...lost."

"Sure."

Luke had some refreshments brought out - a gesture they greatly appreciated - and bade them to take a seat. "Have as much as you want," he told them. "Prison food isn't usually the most appetizing. Anyway, what did you want to know?"

"Well, to begin...could you tell us what the name of this city is?" Raine spoke up. "I'm afraid this area is unfamiliar to us."

"The city we're in now is Kaitzur Port," Luke explained. "Lady Almandine - the girl you rescued - her father, Count Almandine, is the guy who oversees it. Up north is Kaitzur - that's where the borderline is. If you're looking to get to Malkuth, that's where you should head. Down south is the Qiubi peninsula, where the Tower of Rem is."

"Tower of...Rem?"

"It's an ancient tower that was built in the Dawn Age," Natalia filled in, "There's a little station near the coast there for researchers and tourists, but other than that, the continent is mostly deserted."

"I see. What's inside it, exactly?" Raine questioned now. "It sounds very interesting."

"Only if you're a ruin-maniac..." Lloyd muttered under his breath (Raine glared at him). So they were told about the Tower of Rem - a strange, half-finished building with faux runes and glyphs decorating the floors, and a long elevator running from top to bottom...and indeed, this was the location they had awoken at (how lucky they were not to have run into any of the scientists!). Natalia and Luke went on to say that back in the Dawn Age, people had been trying to use the tower to get into space - how crazy was that? - and that, despite it being an ancient tower, most of its technology was far more advanced than what was currently available. That was one of the reasons they had scientists out there - to try and figure it all out.

"Anyway, yeah - that's what's inside it," Luke finished. "Aside from Baticul, it's gotta be the tallest building in all of Auldrant!" he laughed.

Auldrant?

"There's only a few scientists there right now, though. I think they kinda hit a plateau in the research."

"Indeed, science does carry that risk. Nonetheless, it sounds like a marvelous place," Raine mused, eyes alight. Such wonder! But alas, that would have to wait - there were more pressing things to be done.

"I suppose it has its appeal," Natalia nodded. She didn't personally care for it, but then none of those who had seen what transpired there did. Even Jade prefered to let others handle it when the situation called.

"What of the monsters up north, beyond the border?" Regal questioned then. "Are they very dangerous?"

"Some, but your group wouldn't have any trouble," Luke replied, "Especially beyond the border, and it's mostly plains so you can usually see the monsters before they attack anyway."

"I see." He looked at Raine, and she nodded. "Well, then," she said, "I think that has answered all of our questions; we can figure out what we need to do from here. If you will excuse us...Thank Your Highnesses for your hospitality, and please give Lady Almandine our regards."

"Of course," said Natalia, "but surely you're tired after your ordeal; if you will take no reward, at least allow us to provide you with free board and food. We'll have some rooms in the Inn prepared for you."

The nine people looked at each other, then back at the royals. "That would be very kind of you, thank you."

"It's really the least we can offer," Luke ventured.

"I'll have the Innkeeper and cooks informed," Natalia said. "Enjoy your stay. And if you do need anything else, please feel free to ask."

"We'll keep that in mind, Your Majesties, thank you."

"Bye, now!"

"Well, I'm glad that's all settled," the Princess said.

"Yeah, me too," Luke agreed. "Anyways, we should probably get a good last rest in. We've gotta leave for Kaitzur two days from now."

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"They were sure nice, weren't they?" Colette commented on the way out.

"I'm just glad to be out of that prison," Genis said then. "But yeah, I guess they were pretty nice. Not like King Tethe'alla or Governor."

"So...what?" Lloyd asked. "What'd you guys find out?"

"That tower they mentioned, that was definitely the tower we awoke in," Raine said. "I should like to go back there."

"Yes, there may be a clue to help us get home," Presea mused.

"I don't remember seeing anything when we were there, though..." Sheena said.

"Neither do I. All I remember was a flat tower and blue sky above," Genis agreed.

"But we could have missed something; we were all so shocked about just being there," Raine pointed out.

"_And_ seeing Kratos," Genis added.

"..."

"I didn't say it was a _bad_ shock," the young half-elf clarified. "I didn't think summoning Volt would actually work."

"Well, half-worked," Zelos amended, "or maybe it's more like, "worked-and-a-half"?"

"In any case, we really should decide what the best course of action is," Raine said, getting back to the point. "Perhaps it would be better for just Kratos and myself to return to the tower and inspect it, rather than the whole group."

"When will you go?" Lloyd asked. "We can't exactly just take off from the port."

"We'll go after nightfall," said Kratos. "If we stay close to the water until we're further out, then there should be no trouble. The rest of you should stay and relax."

"Shall we head to the Inn, then?"

"Yeah, you guys'll wanna sleep before you leave."

At around eleven o' clock that night, Kratos and Raine departed. They were to head out to the warehouses near the docks, and fly away from there...any passerby or guards would most likely assume they were a couple going on a walk - or heading to a more private place for passionate petting and necking - and probably leave them alone.

"We shouldn't be gone for more than two days," Raine told them. "Stay here for now."

"See if you can find out anything more about this place," Kratos added, "but _do not put yourselves in danger_."

"Got it," Lloyd nodded, and so did the others. "Good luck. And...be careful."

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In fact, Kratos and Raine were gone for hardly more than a day, and had returned by mid-morning on the day _after_ the morrow on which they'd left. Regal sat them down with some breakfast, also courtesy of the Royal Cousins, having heard the crew intended to stay a few days longer than initially planned.

"So, what happened?" Sheena asked.

"Yeah, I thought you were going to be gone longer," Colette said.

"Yes, we thought so, too."

"Why are you back so soon?" Genis asked. "Didn't you find anything?"

"Well, yes and no," Raine replied. "We explored the tower from top to bottom, and we ran across several machines, but there were no signs of any teleportation devices. There were plenty of glyphs, but they appear to be mostly for decoration. The ones that do say anything are in a language not altogether familiar to us. Neither Kratos nor I can confidently make out what they say."

"The written language has some similarities to Angelic, but significant differences, too. I've seen it once before, but unfortunately, I cannot read it."

"So we're at a bit of a standstill," Raine concluded dismally.

"I wonder if there's a library or someplace where we can look up more information?" Genis suggested.

"That's not a bad idea," Regal agreed. "Perhaps we should inquire about the town. The Count or Princess probably know, as well." He looked at Kratos and Raine. "Why don't you two get some sleep and freshen up, and the rest of us will ask about a library?"

"I must confess, I am exhausted," Raine said. "A nap sounds wonderful."

"We'll let you get to that, then." Regal stood up. "Let's get to work."

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"General Cecille, how are you?" Natalia greeted the woman pleasantly, as she strode into the Noble's Quarters at the Port.

"Hey, Cecille," Luke waved.

"Your Majesties," Cecille greeted with a salute. "I'm afraid there's been a delay. The landship that was to take you to Malkuth has met with some difficulties overseas, and will not be here for several more days."

"Oh, dear..."

"Sooooo...exactly how many days are we thinking?" Luke asked. "We have to be in Grand Chokmah for a conference in two-and-a-half weeks."

"At least three days," Cecille replied, frowning.

"...What about a carriage?" Natalia said. "That's not as fast as a landship, of course, but if it's going to be three days, anyway...perhaps we could ride to Kaitzur, and ask Malkuth if they could send a landship to meet us there? We'd have to cut our time in St. Binah, but at least we'd be able to visit."

"That's a good idea, but you'd need an escort to Kaitzur," Cecille said then. "And unfortunately, with all the uprisings, most of the units stationed here have been deployed-"

Luke looked at her, "_More_ uprisings? Where this time?"

"Just below the border," Cecille reported. "I will provide what support I can, of course, but I would not feel comfortable allowing you to travel all that way without sufficient protection, especially with what just happened to Lady Almandine."

"You heard about that, huh?"

"Of course," Cecille replied, "Viola March was one of my instructors in military training. She's only a few years older than I am. However, you can see why I am hesitant about traveling through the Southern Plains without adequate support."

"I still think we could do it," Luke protested. "Natalia and I made it from Kaitzur almost to Rotelro Bridge during the war, and that was before your escort."

"Yes, but those were unusual circumstances," Natalia replied, mulling everything over. "I agree, though, I think we _could_ do it if we absolutely had to..."

"I must insist we try and find another solution," Cecille said then. "At least allow me to gather a sufficient escort. If I can get at least get one platoon..."

Natalia and Luke looked at each other, then at Cecille, and nodded. "We really cannot disappoint these people," Natalia said. "If we can't find an escort by tomorrow morning, regardless, we'll have to continue by carriage or foot."

"I'll go to the Station and wire McGovern that we've been delayed," Luke offered then. "I'll wire Peony, too, and see if he can send a landship out to Kaitzur."

"I'll come with you," Natalia said, also standing up.

"I will speak with Major Tourmaline here in the meantime," Cecille said, "and see what can be done about a carriage and support."

"Thank you, Cecille," Natalia responded.

Kaitzur Port was still small as anything, but it had grown somewhat over the last three years, as had the rest of the world. There were the Royals' Quarters, the barracks, the Station, and the Inn on one side, and the general supply store and warehouses on the other. Over the year that Luke had been absent, relations between Malkuth and Kimlasca had significantly improved, and a telegraph system had been set up between the countries. There were wires running from Kaitzur Port all the way up to St. Binah and Grand Chokmah, as well as between Baticul and Chesedonia, all the way to Belkend.

(Belkend and Sheridan were next collaborating on a _wireless_ telegraph, so that they might send messages to ships over the ocean, as well. Perhaps, one day, they might even send sound and pictures!)

The Station had the port's only telegraph machine. Luke sent the messages, then went outside and plopped down on the front steps, disgruntled.

"I can't believe those people," Luke said to Natalia, who sat down next to him. "Can't they understand the need for peace, the good things about a world without the Score?"

"You mean the uprisings? Yes, but there are always going to be people like that, Luke. The best we can do is put a stop to any violence, and reassure the people that this time is a time to start over...it's a...a new dawning for us."

"I guess."

"...Um, excuse me?"

"Hmm?" Luke and Natalia looked up, seeing the silver-haired boy and blonde girl from the other day. "Oh, yes." Luke stood up, offering a hand to Natalia, then turned and walked toward the travelers.

"Hey, there," Luke greeted, "Colette, and...Genis, am I right?"

"I'm impressed," Genis said. "Most nobles I've met don't bother to remember names of the little people."

"Really?" Natalia replied, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "That seems in rather poor taste."

"No kidding," Luke agreed, frowning. "I'm very sorry to hear that."

"Eh, it's alright."

"Well, no, it's _not_, but there's only so much you can do about people, sometimes," Luke replied, shaking his head. "Anyway, what brings you this way? Did you have a question, or maybe we could help with something?"

"Actually, we were hoping you could tell us where the nearest library is," Genis replied, impressed. "My sister's a researcher, and she could really use it."

"A library?" Luke looked at Natalia. "That depends on the subject, doesn't it? What's she researching?"

"Hmm?"

"The biggest library I know of is in Daath," Natalia explained, "over on the Padamiyan continent. But there are also libraries in the Kimlascan capital of Baticul, as well as in Grand Chokmah, the capital of Malkuth. They're very thorough, but they do specialize in different things. If she's researching fontech, for instance, Baticul would be the best choice. However, if she is researching fonons and fonic artes, Grand Chokmah has a more extensive selection."

"Fonic artes?" Genis looked confused, and the Royal Cousins looked confused right back. "She's interested in glyphs and spells, I know that."

"Well, in that case, Grand Chokmah would probably be the best choice."

"What's the fastest way to get there?" Genis asked.

"To Grand Chokmah?" Natalia repeated. "A ferry is the fastest way, but unfortunately, the next one doesn't leave for another week."

"Most people heading that way go straight on from Chesedonia," Luke elaborated. "Darn it, I really wish that landship of ours hadn't broken down; we could just take you with us."

"You guys were going to Grand Chokmah?" Colette asked. "Why can't you just take a carriage?"

"Oh, a carriage isn't the issue," Natalia said. "The issue is finding an escort in time. There have been reports of several skirmishes between here and the border. Most of the forces here have been sent out to deal with them, and Kaitzur Port is already so small; it simply doesn't have the same resources to just spare a platoon of men at this time."

"Yeah, if this were the main Kaitzur base, up near the border, a platoon of men wouldn't be any problem - I bet Malkuth'd help us, too," Luke added.

"We're going regardless, of course, but I'll admit I am concerned about no support..."

An idea had formed in Genis' head, and he looked at Colette, who nodded. They needed a guide to this Grand Chokmah place, anyway; why _not_ offer to escort the Princess and Count? After Yggdrasill, this was nothing.

"...Count? Princess?"

"Hmm?"

"You know, we don't know the way to Grand Chokmah very well," Genis began, "but we _do_ know how to fight, and we're good at it. Could my friends and I escort you, in exchange for you taking us there?"

Luke and Natalia blinked, then looked at each other. It wasn't likely that this was a ploy for anything, given their rescue of Elena, and subsequent refusal of any monetary reward - even after being wrongfully held. And Natalia felt certain Cecille would accompany them.

"...Would your friends consent to that?" Natalia asked.

"Sure," Colette replied. "We can all help each other."

Luke and Natalia looked at each other again. Elena had said they'd fought very impressively. "Well," Luke said, "that might be a solution. Can you meet us at the barracks in an hour?"

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The meeting at the barracks was not exactly what they were expecting, for Cecille wanted to test their abilities before she would entrust the safety of her Princess and Lord to what were essentially complete strangers, albeit . She would be accompanying them, of course - there were few others who could do so - but she alone could only do so much. She wanted to spar personally with one of their strongest, thereby gauging the party's abilities. The party elected Kratos, much to the Seraph's surprise. However, his magic, sharp swordsmanship, and four-thousand years of experience definitely made him an excellent choice, and while Cecille was surely a skilled swordswoman, it didn't take Kratos long to flip the blade from her hand. The general conceded defeat, and agreed to the escort.

"In that case, we'll leave tomorrow morning," Natalia said, pleased that they wouldn't have to traverse the troubled path all alone. They had done it last time, true enough, but that hadn't meant it wasn't very dangerous. "Thank you for your services; we're very grateful."

"Hey, we're getting benefits, too," Lloyd said then. "We'll look forward to travelling with you guys; appreciate your taking us to Grand Chokmah. See you in the morning." The rest of them nodded, bowed, and left. Tomorrow would begin an entirely new adventure. The Royal Cousins went to bed with grand thoughts of the next day.

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"That Kratos's shield..." Cecille mused to herself later, "it certainly had an interesting design..." Cecille's eyebrows knitted together in concern. So far, the group had truly been helpful...she didn't necessarily feel they were up to anything _malicious_, otherwise she would never have let them near the royal pair.

However, she couldn't help but wonder...what were they really doing here?

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

AFTER FOUR LONG YEARS, IT'S FINALLY BEEN UPDATED. I am so sorry to everyone who has waited on this (and probably gave up on it ^^; ). I'd lost any and all motivation, plus I had massive Writer's Block for this. However, I promise - for any of you who stayed - that the second chapter will NOT be such a long wait from now...**May 16th is the deadline I'm setting for Chapter Two**, and I have every intention of holding myself to that.

Any questions or comments, please feel free to leave in a review or PM me, and I will do my utmost to get back to you in a timely manner. Thank you!

Ages of characters and notes for the story can be found here (take out the spaces): **ht tp:/moonlight tyger. deviantart. com /jour nal/AUTHOR-S-NOTES-Just-Across-the-Fonbelt-2355 51237**

**_EDIT: _**_**3/4/12: **Fixed the link to dA. The site deleted part of the url; sorry about that._


	3. Chapter 2: Crossing the Plains

_I'm so sorry about the delays! Writer's Block, work changes, health issues, holidays, and then getting my classes for the upcoming year drained me. My utmost apologies. Anyway, on to the story :)_

* * *

**.:Just Across the Fon Belt:.**

Chapter Two: Crossing the Plains

* * *

By carriage, it would take five days to reach what the royals called the border; by waiting for the landship, however, they ran the risk of not being able to visit St. Binah at all, and this was something that Natalia was simply unwilling to do.

"In order to continue fostering good relations between the countries, we must keep up our intended visits with _all_ the other citizens, not just the royals in Grand Chokmah," she said.

The party had awoken early that day - despite Lloyd's and Zelos' protests - and were prepared to leave with the Royals, by dawn. The Aurions, Regal, Presea, Sheena, the Sage siblings, and General Cecille would ride Dragons alongside the carriage, as well as four other soldiers Cecille was able to recruit for the trip. The Royal Cousins, Zelos, and Colette would ride inside the carriage. They decided it would be best to have Zelos inside the carriage as well, lest with those flaming locks he be mistaken for a Fabre, and accidentally promote an attack. And Colette's clumsiness manifested itself just fine without the additional handicap of Dragon riding. (Back home, she had ridden Noishe regularly, but Noishe was far more amiable than the reptiles were.)

"So, where are you guys from, anyway?" Luke asked pleasantly.

At Regal's suggestion, the party had had the good sense to study the map the night before, and thus collaborate their alibi. Daath, being further east - and apparently one of the bigger cities, Genis pointed out, having been informed of its large library - was the place the Aselians selected as "home", or rather, Daath's outskirts, since they had little knowledge of the city itself. The group spent little time there, however, instead traveling to assist Raine with her research.

A feeble story, if one were to examine it closely, but hopefully the facade would see them to Grand Chokmah. As to how they ended up lost, well...Lloyd had been giving directions at the time.

That detail, at least, was entirely true.

"...Oh, over from the east, near Daath," Zelos responded. "The outskirts. We'd gotten a little lost when we ran into your Lady Almandine. So, you said her father oversees the whole Kaitzur area, right? Whereabouts does that extend?"

"Pretty much the entire lower half of the continent," Luke laughed. "Clear from Kaitzur Port up to the border, where we're going." (Privately, he wondered how anyone could _not_ know where the Kaitzur area extended, although they did say they were from Daath. And it wasn't like he was one to be talking, anyway.)

"Wow...I knew he was in charge of a lot, but I didn't know it was _that_ huge," Zelos smiled good-naturedly. It was probably common knowledge, he reflected, so he'd have to be careful letting on what he did and didn't know. But Luke and Natalia were so darn eager to talk...

"What's the border like?" Colette asked then, smiling brightly. "Is it very busy?"

"Not terribly," Natalia replied with a smile. "Not when we'll be passing through it, anyway."

"Your Highnesses - we have trouble!" the coachman said from outside. "Dragon Riders!"

"Dragon Riders?" The four passengers looked outside their windows, only to see a large group of armored people on Dragons approaching quickly from either side.

"They're trying to surround us," Zelos narrowed his eyes. "I dunno what these guys're after, but it ain't good, that's for sure."

"Bandits?" Colette asked.

"Probably."

"We won't be able to outrun them this way, not with the carriage," Luke looked seriously at his cousin, and she nodded. "Stop the carriage!" Luke called at the driver. "We'll have to fight!"

Both Luke _and_ Natalia stepped from the vehicle, followed by Zelos and Colette. "Your Majesties, stay _inside!_" Cecille admonished, the other Aselians moving to surround the Royal Cousins, their weapons drawn.

"Not a chance!" Luke paid the General no heed.

"I will not instigate a battle, but neither shall I run!" Natalia also declared, drawing her bow. "As Princess of Kimlasca, I command you to stop, or face the consequences!"

"_Princess?_" one of the men gasped.

"Then the one next to her must be Fabre's son...who's the third?"

"Maybe a distant relative?" another suggested.

"Either way they'll be worth something!" the first man spoke again, grinning dangerously. "Capture the Princess and those redheads - kill the rest! Won't the King pay handsomely to have his precious heirs back?"

"Heh, nice try, Princess, but I don't think they're about to back down!" Zelos said. "Watch out!"

There was a resounding clashing of metal as swords and other weapons dueled with one another. Raine immediately began casting a Field Barrier, using an enchantment unknown to either Natalia or Cecille. Luke knocked one man down with a Demon Fist, while Lloyd and Zelos went after the unspoken leader, the one who had ordered the Royal's capture.

It was a different sensation, Genis thought, harnessing the mana around him as he had done back home. This mana was similar, but different: it sang with his soul and resounded in his heart, as he gathered it around him in a magnificent melody.

"Form a torrential vortex and engulf the evil spirits - Tidal Wave!" The melody ceased as the young elf released the spell, and multiple warriors were dragged off their Dragons with the powerful currents. "Haha!"

"My goodness, that boy's a fonic powerhouse!" Cecille exclaimed, watching the waves recede, idly wondering if even the Necromancer had been so powerful so young.

Presea and her ax were making quite the impact (how such a little girl could swing such a large weapon was beyond Luke), and Sheena moved so quickly that no one could touch her, seals and fearsome acrobatics doing the talking for her. Regal and Cecille ended up making quite the team, while Natalia and Colette watched each other's backs, and that of Genis, while any one of them were casting spells, (although Colette's full abilities were limited, on account of not being able to reveal her wings, as she had in their last run-in with bandits).

Raine, then Kratos, and another of the other soldiers, devoted most of their focus to healing and support (such as Acuteness), occasionally setting off some offensive spells such as Ray or Grave.

"Well, they'll rue the day they messed with us - ay Lloyd, Luke?" Zelos shouted, thoroughly impressed by the latter's fighting ability. King Tethe'alla was surely not so capable in battle as Viscount Fabre, and Princess Hilda did not fight at all - not like Natalia, who was proving to be an expert markswoman and formidible opponent. The redheaded ex-Chosen, Cecille, Regal, Lloyd, and Luke were making quick work of the bandits Genis and Natalia had downed.

"Almost there-"

"Reduce these evil souls to ashes! Explosion!"

"Buuuuuurn, baby! Eruption!"

Searing heat blew through the air, downing more men. Raine offered another Healing Circle, and Colette took out a man with her Triple Ray Thrust.

"Cover me!" Kratos ordered to the others, stepping back. "Time we ended this."

"Sacred Powers, cast your purifying light upon these corrupt souls - Rest in Peace, Sinners! Judgment!" All at once, light poured forth from the skies, striking the remaining thieves with its brilliant rays of white and rendering them dead or unconscious. Kratos smirked.

"Blame your fate!"

"My goodness!" Natalia was wide-eyed.

"Judgment?" Luke stared at the Seraph in wonderment. Tear had sang it enough - he ought to know! Had Kratos really used the Fifth Hymn? Luke knew he could be oblivious, but he was certain he would have heard _some_ melody...

"Marvelous use of fonons," Cecille said, smiling at all of them. "I'll admit I had my doubts, but you have certainly-"

"Fonons," Kratos repeated, then nodded. "Why, of course."

"You seem puzzled about it," Cecille noted, instantly growing suspicious again.

"...I...it took me just a moment to process what you were saying," Kratos explained. "I thought I had heard something else-"

"Well, I have to say I'm impressed!" Genis said suddenly. "Who woulda thought you guys could fight like that?"

"I must say, we were rather impressed with you all as well," Natalia returned. "I imagine the Colonel himself could do no better with his Artes. Or Guy with his sword."

"The Colonel?"

"Guy?"

"They're friends of ours - they live in Grand Chokmah," Luke explained. "We used to travel together all the time, but you know how it is...duty calls. But hey," he brightened, "maybe we can introduce you when we get there."

"Indeed!" Natalia agreed. "Ah, but we'd best be moving forward. We really haven't the time to waste."

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Nighttime approached, and Cecille navigated them to a good, flat spot to set camp. The watch detail still had yet to be decided.

"Natalia and I can take one..." Luke ventured.

"Absolutely not," Cecille stood firm. "Neither of you will do such a thing."

"I must side with General Cecille on this," Kratos also agreed, as did Raine and Regal.

"Let us divide the watch into four two-hour shifts," Raine suggested. "Perhaps Presea and Sheena can take the first watch, Lloyd and Kratos the second, myself and Cecille the third, and Zelos and Regal the last shift? There's a large enough group that I think two people would be more prudent."

"I agree," Cecille nodded. "Third watch is fine with me."

"Ugh...we can _take_ a _shift_," Luke grumped. "Really, it's not that big of a deal-"

"My Lord, you will do no such thing."

"I'm royal, not invalid!" Luke protested.

"He can take my watch," Zelos generously offered, "I'm okay with that-"

"Zelos!"

"He wants to!" Zelos protested. "I was only trying to give His Majesty what he really wanted!"

"Suuuuuure you were," Lloyd grinned.

"Hey!"

"Dad, where do you think we are?" Lloyd asked Kratos later, as they were halfway through the second shift. It was still bizarre for Kratos to hear that word after so many years, but a warmth filled him nonetheless, and he hid a smile.

"Dad?"

"I believe they called it "Eldrant"," Kratos answered, sounding far away. "I knew someone once, long, long ago, who had come from Eldrant. We helped her return there."

"We?"

"Yuan and I."

"Oh."

"She was a brilliant person, with a wonderful, inventive mind. Mithos would have stopped at nothing to ensure she was his. We had to prevent that from happening."

Kratos smirked, glancing at Lloyd. "She reminded us greatly of Martel."

Lloyd smiled, too. "How did she return? That girl?"

"...Of that, I am not entirely sure," Kratos replied, knitting his eyebrows. "It was over two-thousand years ago. I believe she and the Renegades worked something out, but the exact details were lost to me."

"I wonder if we could contact Yuan?" Lloyd asked. "I think he was in Asgard, last I understood. He'd given us some information on the Vanguard's movements."

"The Vanguard?"

"They're a group that seems to oppose the Unification," Lloyd explained sadly. "We don't really know what their game is, but it can't be good.

"They started up to help retain Sylvaranti equality - Tethe'alla thinks they're better 'cause they have all those fancy machines - but that doesn't seem to be their thing anymore. They're after something else now, but we don't know what."

Kratos was at a loss. He could think of a few reasons why people would oppose the Unification - dislike for change among them - but as to the Vanguard's new agenda, he wouldn't have a clue.

"Well," he finally said, after a moment's pause, "you have dealt with worse. I'm sure Cruxis' plans were far worse than anything the Vanguard has in mind. You'll stop them, Lloyd, just as you did us."

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The trip to the border ended up taking slightly longer than expected, what with bandits and various rebels pursuing or even altogether halting the caravan for a short while. (Luke never did get his way with the night shifts.)

Finally, early afternoon of the sixth day, a line appeared on the horizon. The border was just ahead, the wall on either side extending as far as the eye could see.

"Wow!" Colette's grin was wide as she peered out the window. "That's Kaitzur, right? It's so long!"

By now, the royals had grown somewhat accustomed to Colette's sometimes-ditziness, but it still amused them to no end. The girl was terribly sweet and gentle-minded.

"Finally!" Luke grinned as he, too, stuck his head out the window. "I'll never take a landship or the Albiore for granted again!"

"Me neither," Natalia laughed at her cousin's antics.

"What's the Albiore?" Colette asked.

"It's a flying-machine," Natalia told him. "A very impressive piece of Dawn-Age technology."

"...Sounds impressive." Zelos had no idea what this "Dawn Age" was, but obviously, it meant something to the royals; they kept talking about it. He was curious about their flying-machine, though...was it similar to the Renegades' Rheairds?

"Your Highnesses!" the guards at the border station greeted. "What a pleasure it is to see you both back here!"

"It's good to be back," Luke grinned.

"And these are your escorts?"

"Yes," Natalia smiled, and the guard nodded.

"Please proceed. There should be a landship waiting on the other side for you."

"Great!" Luke cheered.

"Thank you," Natalia replied graciously. The carriage and Dragons moved forward, down the long midway between the Kimlasca-side station and that of Malkuth, eliciting audible oohs and aahs from Colette, Sheena, Lloyd, and Genis, but the others were visibly impressed as well.

The group of twelve reached Malkuth and were admitted entry into the land, Luke and Natalia introducing the oddly-dressed people as their official escort.

"Well, well, well," a familiar, accented voice greeted the group. ""Official escort", have we?" The nine Aselians glanced over to where a bespectacled man in a teal uniform was walking toward them, followed closely by another man with short, spiky blond hair, and a bright smile.

"Luke, Natalia, how are you?" the latter man greeted cheerfully, looking over the group.

"Jade, Guy!" Luke's grin was wide.

"Colonel, Guy," Natalia greeted the two with less exuberence than her cousin, but her delight was evident. "I should have known Emperor Peony would send you to rescue us!" The Aselians looked on curiously.

"Our pleasure, Princess," Guy cheerfully replied. "And who are these?" he asked, smiling.

"Oh, forgive us," Natalia shook her head, then turned to the Aselians. "May I introduce to you our dear friends, Count Gailardia Galan Gardios, of the House of Gardios in Malkuth-"

"Please, just call me Guy," the blond replied, rubbing the back of his head and blushing a little. Even after two years, he still wasn't quite used to his full title, and was a little abashed by the Princess' use of it.

"-and Colonel Jade Curtiss, also of Malkuth," Natalia finished, gesturing to the man with glasses.

"A pleasure," he said amicably, red eyes roving over the group, glinting a little as he looked at them.

Natalia turned back to him and Guy. "And these people are our official escort. You know the General, of course; these others are Lloyd Irving-Aurion, his brother, Kratos Aurion; Colette Brunel; Professor Raine Sage, and her brother, Genis; Sheena Fujibayashi; Zelos Wilder; Presea Combatir, and Regal Bryant."

(Raine and Genis were thoroughly impressed. Not one name wrong, and she'd even remembered their last names, too!)

""Aurion", is it?" Jade grinned at Kratos. "How peculiar. Well, I'm informed that you all are to journey with us to Grand Chokmah, then?"

"Yep!" Colette clapped her hands together happily.

"Excellent," Jade turned back toward the fort's gates. "The more the merrier, isn't that right, Guy?"

"...Ur, yes?"

"Exactly! Well, let's be on our way, then, shall we? Can't keep Saint Binah waiting."

"I can't _wait_ to get on that landship!" Luke breathed, striding after the Colonel and Guy.

"...Hey, uh, Genis?" Lloyd whispered to the young half-elf. "...Isn't Jade a _girl's_ name?"

"As a matter of fact," the Colonel turned suddenly and smiled cheerfully at Lloyd (successfully sending a shiver up the boy's spine), ""Jade" is a _unisex_ name; while it is more common for a female, it is not unheard of as a man's name."

"May I beg my brother's pardon," Kratos said quickly, squeezing Lloyd's shoulder.

"No harm done," Jade grinned pleasantly, adjusting his glasses. Lloyd shivered again. He might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but that _thing_ on the Colonel's face was definitely _not _a "smile".

"You must be more tactful, Lloyd," Kratos admonished quietly.

"Speaking of odd names," Jade said pleasantly, "Aurion isn't exactly a common one; where did you say you were from?"

"Over near Daath," Regal answered.

"Indeed," the Colonel replied. "Have you run into Anise Tatlin, perchance?"

"We haven't," Raine answered. "I'm a researcher and these are my companions; we run a facility on the outskirts of the city."

"How very interesting," Jade commented. "Anise is a close friend of ours; I wondered perhaps if you might know her, as well."

They had reached the landship by this time, and the Aselians tried very hard not to look too awed by it. The vehicle was massive, even to Kratos' eyes; anything but the Tower of Salvation itself would have been dwarfed by the ship, painted in crisp whites and golds.

"Shall we?" the Colonel invited, waving a hand up the gangplank. "All aboard!"

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The ship was no smaller on the inside, nor less impressive.

"I'll leave Guy to show you to your rooms," the Colonel grinned, casting a look at the exasperated blond. "General Cecille, may I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course, Colonel." Cecille followed Jade into his office, shutting the door behind them.

"I won't waste time beating around the bush," Jade said seriously. "What is the story behind those escorts? How did they happen into your care?"

"Hmm?"

"Surely you've noticed that shield the elder Aurion carries," Jade embellished.

"The Arredoval," Cecille nodded. "I did."

"As you must know, that design is not one native to Auldrant," Jade continued. "Nor is the name one I've heard outside history books. Then those clothes; the glyphs worn by the Sage siblings, in particular, look to be Elven runes of some sort."

"_Elven_ runes?" Cecille was wide-eyed. "But...there's only one planet that...surely you don't mean...after all these years? Yulia was said to have ensured our safety..."

"Yulia was said to have ensured many things that are now no longer relevant. How did you come across them?" Jade asked sharply.

"They rescued our Lady Almandine from an ambush," Cecille replied, "and were arrested after a misunderstanding. Lady Almandine said so herself. Then they refused any monetary compensation. They said they had gotten lost when the younger Aurion was giving directions.

"Lady Almandine did mention something about wings, however," Cecille replied, somewhat abashed, "but we failed to believe her, as she had been unconscious and through quite a traumatic experience. Their Majesties were so insistant upon finding an escort up here - Kaitzur Port is small, as you know - and when those people offered their services in exchange for a guide to Grand Chokmah, they jumped at the chance. They have proven themselves very formidable in battle.

"I did think it rather odd they needed a guide in the first place, but it was that or have Their Highnesses off across the Kaitzur plains on their own."

"Rather than wait and risk missing St. Binah," Jade sighed. His young friends were so devoted it was madness, sometimes.

He pondered a moment, mulling everything over. Hearing Cecille's full account, it certainly would not seem like the mysterious peoples had any ulterior motives. Furthermore, if they _had_ been planning to attack or infiltrate Malkuth for any reason, acceptance of a reward from Kimlascan royalty might very well aid in their plans (gald was the most commonly accepted currency, but so were gold and silver coins stamped with Royal or Imperial seals; worth more than gald, too), enabling them to frame Kimlasca for a war. Relations were much better, but by no means untarnished.

Nonetheless, the ultimate question still remained, what _were_ a bunch of Aselians doing _here?_

"Cecille, would you mind summoning Guy and the others?" Jade finally said. "I'd much rather take care of this sooner, rather than later. Summon them here."

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"So, what's this all about, Jade?" Guy asked, striding into the room, the Aselians, Luke, and Natalia, not far behind.

"Guy, Luke, Princess...if you wouldn't mind joining me on this side," Jade instructed, and they did so (albeit, confused), standing just behind the Colonel and Cecille. Having threshold enough between the Royal Three and the Aselians, Jade turned his full attention to the people before him.

"Tell me," Jade said, grinning, "how you came to visit this planet."

* * *

Good grief that was a long haul. I had intended to do more initially, but in the end I couldn't find how to put that in _and_ have it flow. Again, I'm sorry it took so long.

**NOTES:**

- Cecille puts her foot down on some of the little things because that's all she can really get away with. It's improper not to allow the Royals a full night's sleep, but they're crossing the battlefield on behalf of their subjects, so _that's_ okay.

- "Blame your fate": easily my least favorite of Kratos' finishing lines, but definitely one of his most recognizable, so I picked that one XD

- Jade does instruct them behind the desk so that he and Cecille are between them and the Aselians.


End file.
